The Real Athlete blog

Athlete Weekly Rundown: Tony Woods gets a second chance, the UFC Fighter Summit & Keith McCants and Lewis Brown struggle with their post-athletic careers

by Matthew Allinson 05-20-2011 11:38 PM Athlete Weekly Rundown

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Athlete Development

After learning what it means to work in the real world and pay bills, Tony Woods values the opportunity to be a student-athlete again now more than ever. [Ex-Wake standout Woods seeks second chance]

There is nothing wrong with reopening your recruitment if the head coach retires (e.g. Gary Williams) to ensure that you will have made the best choice. [Nick Faust, Sterling Gibbs reopen recruitments]

There is no replacement for hard work. Jared Dudley (Phoenix Suns) has turned himself into a starting-caliber shooting guard in the NBA after 4 years. He is constantly working on improving his weaknesses. [Jared Dudley keeps improving on his journey to a starting spot]

Inspiring story about Michael Jasper, 7th round draftee for the Buffalo Bills. The 6-foot-5 nose tackle, who now weighs in the 370-pound range, has such a positive attitude and hunger to succeed. I really look forward to seeing him on the field soon (after the lockout ends of course). [Jasper overcomes enormous odds on journey to NFL]

Athlete Education on the Rise: Get into the Game

by Dr. Timothy Thompson 05-19-2011 11:59 PM Finance | Athlete Career Development | Education | Human Relations

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In a May 10, 2011 Yahoo! Sports website article entitled Fighter summit educates about finances, author Kevin Iole showed his readers that athlete education about a variety of subject areas that are closely related to the athlete's professional status is on the rise. Iole's article explained how the recent third annual Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fighter Summit focused much of its attention on teaching the pro fighters how to apply their training discipline to the management of their money, as well as to other important life decisions.

I regard this as a highly encouraging sign that there's a real growing market among some athletes for learning how to be smart about leveraging their influential social roles to achieve lasting benefits for themselves, their families, and their communities. And the more this market of life-long learners grows, the bigger the part pro athletes will be poised to play in inspiring young people to develop the kinds of multi-dimensional decision-making skills that will help our country's future leaders to respond effectively to the new and different challenges that we're all facing.

Whenever I read stories about guys like all-pro tight end Tony Gonzalez or former all-pro linebacker Lavar Arrington, among others, making the most of their life opportunities beyond pro football, I get an increasingly hopeful feeling that the stage is being set for pro athletes to show others how to get and stay in "the zone" off the field as well as on it. After all, the holistic thinking, precise mental focus, and painstakingly consistent ritualistic performance preparation behaviors that all highly tuned athletes must sustain can easily translate to any type of human activity. Therefore, all a pro athlete really needs in order to taste similar success outside of his or her sport is a strong desire to make it happen and effectively conveyed guiding information that emphasizes practical how-to tools and techniques.

Athletes: Everything You Say Matters

by Joe Jackman 05-18-2011 11:58 PM Life After Sports | Athlete Career Development | Image Branding | Marketing

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Pittsburgh Steelers Rashard Mendenhall's recent tweets have resulted in athletic apparel maker Champion, terminating the NFL running back's endorsement contract that was to run through 2015.

Mendenhall made controversial comments about Osama bin Laden's death using the popular social media tool. He questioned why people would celebrate his death, and also seemed to question whether he was even involved in the September 11th attacks.

Brand Before You Speak, Tweet, Act

Some think this was an overreaction by Champion, others agree with the company. Regardless of where you stand, this is not the first time an elite athlete has paid a price for 'off the cuff comments.'

What you say and how you communicate with fans, media, executives, and the business and sporting communities can make a huge difference in how people respond to you and your brand. What you say can help you/your brand stand apart from others, or as we observed by these unprepared and spontaneous comments, it can haunt you and your brand reputation.

The NFL’s Worst Moment is Ahead

by Jason Krump 05-17-2011 11:56 PM Human Relations | Special Event

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Nearly a decade ago, the NFL experienced its finest moment.

It was when then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue halted the league for a week in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, another great moment is supposed to be ahead for the NFL.

The 10th anniversary of 9/11 occurs this year on a Sunday. As it happens, it coincides with the first Sunday of the 2011 NFL season.

The NFL recognizes and even embraces this by scheduling games at New York and Washington (the Giants are at the Redskins and the Jets are hosting the Cowboys). In addition, the league is promoting the tributes on its website.

Picture it now. Unforgettable images of packed stadiums across the country, including New York and Washington, filled with fans waving the American Flag, patriotism, and tributes to the victims of Sept. 11 and our military.

Owning Your Failure: How Former Star Athlete Tony Mandarich Conquered Failure

by Cory Dobbs, Ed.D. 05-16-2011 11:56 PM Athlete Career Development | Coaching | Human Relations | Motivation

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Former NFL Player Tony Mandarich, 44, never lived up to his billing during his six-year NFL career.

We live in a time of immense institutional failure, a murky world of corporate accountability, and an era of an ever-fading sense of personal responsibility. If you want proof of how important leadership is review the excuses put forth daily by our political, business, educational, and sports leaders. Watch how they gloss over mistakes, find a scapegoat, spin the truth, or simply lie.

Good leadership is a matter of character. Effective leadership hinges on trust and is cultivated in the words and deeds of leaders. Dishonesty and artificiality are incompatible with honorable leadership.

In a complex world with an endless array of problems, leadership matters.

Thoughtful leaders, those that can transform people, communities, and organizations take ownership of their role and responsibilities. Success and failure are always part and parcel of any team endeavor. What separates the great leaders from the average is how they respond to and handle adversity and failure.

Exemplary leaders own their failures. Admitting ownership of one’s problems and failures brings with it the opportunity to teach others how to do better.

Athletes, the Time to Invest in Real Estate is Now

by Matthew Allinson 05-12-2011 09:45 PM Finance

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This is a guest post from Ikem Chukumerije, CEO/President of SportsRelocation.com

The stories have been flooding the news wires for months now. It seems you can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without hearing about another foreclosure or another town struggling under the weight of the current recession. Job growth is weak at best, the stock market resembles a Yo-Yo with its up and down nature, and nobody is really sure when things will turn around for the economy.

In other words, this is the perfect time for professional athletes to invest in real estate. That last sentence wasn’t a misprint! This really is a great time to look at long-term investing and there is no better long-term investment out there than real estate.

Insightful Player: Inspired Dad Pioneers a Worldwide Campaign

by Chrissy Carew 05-07-2011 12:12 AM Athlete Career Development | Coaching | Education | Human Relations | Insightful Player

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Growing up in Southern California, John Ballantine’s active, high energy childhood consisted of playing neighborhood pickup sports all day with his friends. “Sometimes you’d come in for lunch and sometimes you didn’t come home until dinner,” he says. “It was typical to play three or four different sports in one day – football, basketball, baseball, swimming. The important thing was to be outside running around having fun with your friends,” he says.

John went on to compete in baseball, football, wrestling, and golf through high school, and the experience left him with more than a sense of physical fitness. “I really attribute much of my success, self-confidence, and tenacity to the experiences that I had related to youth sports.”

One aspect of youth sports that he valued was the unqualified support of his parents. “They gave us a lot of flexibility to go out and try things, whether it was a new sport, swimming, going to the beach or biking.” Money didn’t play a role in playing sports, so as a parent himself now, he’s alarmed to see financial concerns preventing many children from playing sports in today’s world. “Our schools have historically provided kids from all walks of life with opportunities to stay active. But we’re seeing funding shortages and cuts to extracurricular athletic programs at an unprecedented scale, which means today’s kids are forced to pursue sports outside the public schools in a “pay to play” environment, which is cost-prohibitive for many families.”

John stated that the research supporting kids in sports is overwhelming. “Kids involved in after-school sports programs have better social skills, better academic performance, and higher levels of physical activity later in life. Athletics also has the potential to reverse alarming trends in teenage pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, and underage drug use. The last academic year (2009-2010) saw over $2 billion eliminated from after-school sports programs in public schools around this country.”

An Open Letter to NFL Draftees by Wesley Mallette

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For the past two years, I have penned an Open Letter to NFL Draftees that has been well received. So, with the 2011 NFL Draft just days away, I believe it is once again time to remind our next generation of gridiron superstars what’s most important to focus on as they await that phone call from the front office of the team asking them how they feel about being a (insert name of NFL franchise here).

Gentlemen,

Well, it’s almost here. The big weekend. To date, perhaps the biggest one in the twenty-something years you’ve been on this planet. This will be a life-changing weekend for you and your families. It’s here and it’s the NFL Draft. And you are on the big board, son.

You are going to hear a lot of things from a lot of people over the course of the next few days. Many from people you don’t know. Then, sometime between Thursday and Saturday you may hear your name called. You may not. You may go in the early rounds. You may not go at all.

Athlete Chat: Garrison Sanborn

by Anna Stefano 04-22-2011 10:56 PM Athlete Interviews | Athlete Career Development

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Garrison Sanborn is entering his third season as the long snapper for the Buffalo Bills. He was signed by the Bills as a free agent in May of 2009.

Long snapper is perhaps the most specialized position in football. It is a tedious and often thankless job that can make or break field position, and a team’s chance of winning the game. When I got the opportunity to chat with Buffalo Bills long snapper Garrison Sanborn, I was eager to learn about how he became a long snapper, his transition into the NFL, and his relationship with his Bills teammates—but what I got was much more.

Talking to Garrison Sanborn is like chatting with an old friend. He slips into a smooth vernacular reminiscent of his friendly attitude, and tells stories with the ease of a man who is truly content with his life. Sanborn is an old soul: grateful, humble, and charitable. He loves football, and from an early age, it seemed he was destined to become a professional long snapper. It has not been easy, but Sanborn has managed to do it with hard-work, perseverance, and a good support system.

Athletes, the Time to Understand Superbugs is Now!

by Matthew Allinson 04-20-2011 02:04 AM Athlete Career Development | Education | Injury & Rehabilitation | Motivation

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This is a guest post from Steve Brandon, Vice President of the IV7 Doctors Group

Athletes are some of the most fit people in our society. They train hard, pay attention to nutrition and seem to be less susceptible to illness. So, it stands to reason, they should be less concerned than say, children, the elderly or people in hospitals about becoming ill, right? Not so fast.

While that may have been the case in the past, a new category of pathogens called “Superbugs” have arrived and they do not discriminate. In other words, it’s time for athletes to understand what is happening. They need to do all they can to keep from becoming infected at the least, or worst case, a casualty.